Revelation 18: Woe, Woe to Babylon

The Corruption of Babylon

In Revelation 17, one of the angels who had poured out one of the ceremonial bowls of the passion of God’s cleansing wrath came over to John to reveal how Babylon would be judged. John was carried in the Spirit to a place of solitude, where he was given a very disturbing vision of a richly costumed woman sitting upon a crimson creature with seven heads and ten horns. The woman was guzzling the blood of Christians from a golden goblet, growing intoxicated with their slaughter. The beast proudly wore every kind of blasphemy and the woman’s cup overflowed with abominations, idolatry, and illicit sex.

John was extraordinarily disturbed by this grand spectacle.

As he stood staring, slack-jawed, the angel explained the mystery of John’s vision.

The Castigation of Babylon

The beast represented a number of kings who would wage war with the Lamb, and the woman represented the great city Babylon. Certain events would now transpire, a gut-wrenching tragedy that would conclude with God’s judgment upon them all.

In Revelation 18, another angel came down out of the sky, this one having authority so great the entire earth was illuminated by the angel’s glory. This heavenly messenger had come to pronounce Babylon’s downfall, while a voice resounding from heaven called all of God’s own to remove themselves from the great city so they would not be swept up in its destruction. Babylon’s sins had risen, like poisonous, noxious fumes, up to God, but in a show of defiant braggadocio, Babylon refused to accept God’s conviction.

But, the angel said, the inexorable day of her ruin is coming.

“Because of this, in one day her plagues will come: death and mourning and scarcity, and she will be utterly burned up in fire, because mighty the Lord God the One having judged her.”

Revelation 18:8

The passage below is the rest of the heavenly voice’s message to all the world.

The Conflagration of Babylon

“Then, the rulers of the earth will lament with loud cries of anguish and beat their breasts in mourning, they having practiced idolatry/illicit sex and luxuriated in wantonness with her, for as long as they may see the smoke of her conflagration.

“While off from a distance they were standing for the fear of her torment, saying,

“’Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the mighty city, because your divine judgment came in one point of time.’

“Then, the merchants of the earth lament with loud cries of anguish and grieve in mourning on her behalf, because their cargo and merchandise no one ever again may buy.

“Cargo of gold, and of silver, and of precious stone, and of pearls, and of fine linen, and of purple stuff, and of silk, and of scarlet stuff, and everything crafted of citrus wood, and all ivory goods, and all goods of precious wood, and [cargo] of copper money, and of iron, and of marble and cinnamon, and spices from India, and incense, and perfumed oil of myrrh, and frankincense, and wine, and olive oil, and fine flour, and  grain, and farm animals, and sheep, and of horses, and of chariots, and of human bodies and of souls.

“And the fruit of the forbidden longing of your soul departed from you, and all the rich dainties and the gorgeous trappings utterly destroyed from you, and not ever to be found again.

“Then merchants of these, the ones who became rich from her, will stand afar off because of the fear of her torture, lamenting with loud cries of anguish and grieving in mourning, saying,

“’Woe, woe, the great city, the one who was clothed in fine linen and in purple and crimson, and who was bedecked in gold and precious stone and pearl, because in one point in time the vast quantity of treasure has been stripped bare.’

“And every ship’s captain, and all who are sailing to a place, and sailors, and how many are working their trade on the sea, from afar off they were standing and were shrieking while looking at the smoke of her conflagration, saying,

“’What is like the great city?’

“Then, they threw dust upon their heads and screamed in anguished lamenting and mourning, saying,

“’Woe, woe, the great city, in which were made wealthy, all those having the ships in the sea, out of her magnificence, because in one point of time she has been stripped bare.’

“You all are to rejoice over her, heaven, and holy ones, and apostles and prophets, because God judged the judgment of you all, over her.”

And one powerful angel lifted up a stone like massive millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,

“In the same violent way, Babylon the great city will be thrown, and will not ever again be found. Then a sound of harpists, and of musicians, and of flutists, and of trumpeters, will not ever again be heard in you, and every artisan or craftsman of every will not ever again be found in you, and a millstone’s sound will not ever again be heard in you, and a lamp’s light will not ever again shine in you, and a bridegroom’s voice and bride’s will not ever again be heard in you, because your merchants were being the mighty ones of the earth, because by your poisonous sorceries all the peoples were led astray, and in her blood of prophets and of holy ones was discovered and all the ones having been slayed upon the earth.”

Revelation 18:9-24

Those Who Will Mourn

The fire of God’s wrath is meant to burn away the dross and reveal the purity within. Whatever is good and true is freed from the encasing of sin, and up from the ashes of God’s cleansing arises what has clung to God, has been divinely transformed and made worthy of God.

Remember, though, what actually, physically sets fire to Babylon is not a divine act of God, Sodom and Gomorrah style, but rather the very kings Babylon was riding upon.

“… the ten horns which you observed, and the beast, these will detest the idolator/prostitute, and they will make her be deserted and denuded, and they will eat her flesh, and they will cause her to be utterly consumed by fire, for God committed their hearts to perform God’s purpose, and to carry out one single purpose and to give their realm to the beast, until the words of God will be brought to completion.”

Revelation 17:16-17

Tragically, there was nothing but corruption in Babylon, so no part of that great city would be left.

It might have seemed, to John, that the horror of Babylon’s bloodthirstiness and obvious abominations would have made the rest of the world at least somber before the Lord, as the Lord’s cleansing wrath swept through Babylon’s corruption, leaving nothing in its wake.

Perhaps to John’s astonishment, instead of crying out in repentance to God, the world lamented.

Political Powers Mourn

The kings of earth howled in horror as they gazed at the billowing clouds of black smoke, and the giant flames leaping into the sky. “Woe,” they wailed, over their ruined seat of power. “Woe,” because, in one breathtaking, terrifying moment, God’s dreadful judgment had leveled the most powerful place on earth … and they would never find anything like Babylon again.

Commercial Centers Mourn

The merchants of earth shrieked in terror as they stood at a distance, staring round-eyed at the pulsating inferno, heatwaves casting a ruddy glow and reeling from the sickening sounds of explosions. “Woe,” they sobbed, over the destruction of their markets. The wealthiest business and trade center of the enter world gone in one moment of judgement … never again to rise.

Export Magnates Mourn

All those with shipping businesses, those who worked their trade in transport, stood aghast as their entire businesses were rendered obsolete in one blast of heavenly combustion, visited upon the doomed Babylon. “Woe,” they wept, for all that wealth, all that magnificent lucre was so suddenly, appallingly consumed by the flames of God’s cleansing wrath … nevermore to be gained.

But the Holy Rejoice

There must have been a moment of silent stupefaction, as all heaven watched the extermination of Babylon. But now the voice rang out once more, calling to God’s people to rejoice over God’s judgment, for it is on their behalf—the holy ones of God, the apostles and prophets, all those have been martyred for the Lord’s sake, all the inhabitants of heaven as well as the holy ones who had been called to safety by God—that God did away with Babylon.

Then, all eyes shifted to a powerful angel who lifted up what must have seemed an impossibly heavy boulder and threw it down into the sea. “This is how completely and violently Babylon is going to disappear,” were the angel’s words. Nothing will be left of it. God has done this on behalf of all those who were deceived and slaughtered by this unspeakably evil place.